White Knight
by dudeurfugly
Summary: High school dance AU. Jefferson comes to the rescue of a distraught Emma Swan on the night of their class' senior prom.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just having a bit of fun. **

**A/N: Written for an anonymous prompt on Tumblr. Enjoy!**

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Given his current surroundings, Jefferson figured there would be some degree of magic in the air, some kind of alluring quality to the atmosphere that would draw him in with a wondrous grasp and not release him until dawn came over the horizon. They were lucky enough to be spending senior Prom in a sprawling mansion nestled deep in the abundant hills of the countryside, and it was nothing short of a castle, all solid stone and large windows and vaulted ceilings. He leaned against the back wall of the grand ballroom, sharp eyes fixed on the masterpiece painted on the ceiling above the writhing bodies of his classmates dancing against a dizzying display of lights. The pounding of the bass through the speakers thudded in his chest and made him shift uncomfortably.

Jefferson himself couldn't really call what they were doing as dancing, per se—it didn't exactly uphold anything resembling the elegance and class of this luxurious architectural gem. It was a blur of twirling skirts and sweaty limbs, hands roving and lips pressed against each other in reckless abandon. He heaved a sigh and reached into the front pocket of his vest, flicking open a silver pocket watch. In the flash of a strobe light he was able to read the sleek hands of the clock: a half hour until midnight. He slid the watch back into its rightful place and shoved his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants, eyes wandering to the patterns in the marble floor. Perspiration trickled down the nape of his neck—it was time to get some air and escape being subjected to something just short of voyeurism.

Placing a black fedora onto his head of slightly overgrown and unkempt brunette hair, Jefferson retreated out the back door and onto the terrace, thankful for the gust of wind that wrapped itself around him. He'd already had to roll up the sleeves of his dress shirt to the elbows to combat the stifling heat in the ballroom. It was spring, so the night was relatively warm and tranquil, with a hint of the humidity that gave promise to the upcoming summer. The sky was an inky black highlighted with royal blue, stars blinking down at him like the masterpiece in the ballroom. Out in the countryside, the stars were closer, as if he could pull one down from the sky and hold it in his palm. Jefferson found the courtyard to be magnificent; maybe now he'd discovered a little bit of that allure he'd been searching for.

Hedgerows stood guard on the either side of the wide expanse of land, each one clipped and tamed to perfection. From his view on the stone terrace it looked like a maze, like he could get lost or swallowed up whole by their intimidating stances. It seemed a bit ridiculous and yet appealing at once. If he hid in the courtyard and midnight came, would anyone notice? Could he stay here and sleep beneath the stars instead? The idea was no good if he didn't have anyone to share it with, he decided. He hadn't come to Prom with a date.

Among the vibrant array of flowers planted in the garden, trees of all shapes and sizes loomed over head, decorated with white lights that could have been mistaken for fireflies. Jefferson noticed almost hundreds of paper lanterns in bright colors had been strung up around the lush garden, giving it a soft ethereal glow. At the center of the courtyard was a huge rectangular pond with a bubbling fountain peppered with floating tea lights. The fountain sculpture was in the image of a young woman with long hair about her shoulders, flanked by a few animals, among them a rabbit and a tortoise. It was much easier for Jefferson to block out the harsh bass and overpowering music when he had the sound of flowing water and crickets to occupy his mind.

That is, until Jefferson heard something else. Something he thought sounded like crying. Brow knit together, he followed the noise down off the terrace to the outskirts of a garden, where he spotted a girl perched on very large rock with her face in her hands. Normally, crying females made Jefferson nervous to the point of confusion, unable to deal with their outpouring of emotion and come up with the proper protocol for dealing with them. But to his surprise, there was something about this girl he couldn't ignore. It was like he had grasped onto that wonder and magic at last; her image, sitting on that rock with her dress splayed out around her, she looked every bit of a princess.

Jefferson let out a ragged, anxious breath. "Are you okay?" he tried.

The girl appeared spooked. She peered up at him finally, wiping at her cerulean eyes which were clinging to their last remnants of makeup. Blonde hair tumbled in waves down her back, beautiful lose curls in what Jefferson thought was the most brilliant shade of sunshine. A chunk of her hair had been pinned to the side with a crystal-encrusted barrette, glittering against the lights in the courtyard. Jefferson felt the air being forced from his lungs—she was _gorgeous_. It was a mystery to him how they hadn't exactly met in their four years of high school. They must have passed each other in the halls at some point, maybe attended one class together but never noticed.

The girl sniffled. "Do I _look_ okay?"

Jefferson's gaze traveled to the ball gown on her curvy form. It was a bright shade of pink, somewhere not quite neon and bordering on hot. The bodice of the dress fit tightly to her delicate form and then spilled out at the waist into a full skirt. A sparkling, almost floral design of silver and tiny jewels sewn into the fabric completed the gorgeous ensemble. Again, she reminded Jefferson of a princess.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, if you're searching for personal opinion," he said, "I think you look beautiful."

She brushed away the last of her tears. "Thanks, but I didn't come out here to be hit on."

"I wasn't—it was a genuine compliment," Jefferson asserted. "Why are you out here, anyway?"

"Why do you care?" she inquired, toeing at her hot pink heels sitting on the grass below her.

"Someone like you shouldn't be this miserable on the night of Prom," Jefferson stated. "Me, that's a whole different story."

"You're telling me you don't have a date?"

"…And you're surprised?" he countered, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah," she replied slowly. "A little bit, yeah. Well, all right, maybe more than a little."

"Thanks," he laughed, shaking his head.

She smoothed out the fabric of her dress pooled around her. "I'm Emma, by the way."

"Jefferson," he supplied. He moved closer to her, hands still tucked into his pants pockets. They lapsed into a momentary silence before Jefferson inquired again, "So, you're not going to tell me what brought you out here by yourself, crying?"

"Blame my ass of a boyfriend," Emma answered. "Or as I should say, _ex_-boyfriend."

"Anyone I can give a good punch to the face?"

"No," Emma chuckled. "No, I got that covered, believe me. After I caught him with his tongue in another girl's mouth, that was my immediate reaction."

Jefferson grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me, too," she said. "Although at this point I'm not sorry that I might've broke his nose. Not after dating him for a year and being cheated on."

"His loss," Jefferson declared.

"Why didn't you have a date?" Emma asked, forever uncomfortable every time someone gave her a compliment.

"Uh, I don't know. I guess I'm a bit of a loner. Didn't really have anyone to ask. I'm not even sure why I showed up. Not a fan of large crowds."

"I'm glad you did," Emma admitted. "A hell of a place, isn't it? Hard to believe the outside is just as beautiful as the inside. Looks like a fairytale."

Jefferson smiled. "Do you want to dance?" He held out his hand.

"Oh—"

"I mean, only if you'd like to."

Emma took his hand and he helped her off the rock carefully. She kicked aside her shoes and pushed her toes into the soft carpet of grass.

"I would love to," Emma told him.

Walking hand in hand, they made their way closer to the fountain decorated with floating tea lights. They could barely hear the music coming from the ballroom, but it didn't matter to either of them. The sound of the trickling water coupled with a lull of crickets in the garden and the breeze fluttering against the paper lanterns was enough. Emma encircled her arms around his neck, which caught him off guard. He grinned and placed his hands gently on her waist. The scent of jasmine and vanilla from Emma's perfume assailed his senses, heightening the floral aromas in the garden. They danced around the fountain and enjoyed having the entire courtyard to themselves and the painting of stars above their heads.

"I think it's past midnight," Jefferson whispered.

Emma leaned her head against his shoulder. "I don't mind," she stated. "Do you?"

"Not at all."

"Good," she laughed. She lifted her head so her eyes met his and pressed a kiss onto his lips. "Thank you for rescuing my night from disaster. You made me see that there's better people out there."

He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Thanks for being my date, Emma."

She captured his lips in another, longer kiss before grabbing his hand. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Date's not over," Emma told him.

She grabbed the hat from his head and placed it on top of her own before setting off into a run, dragging him along with her. They disappeared into the maze of hedges, laughter rising into the spring air, neither one of them worried about the time.


End file.
